Why the stuttering habit is so stubborn

Hey friend,

Do you ever have days – or even weeks – where your speech is "ok" or "not so bad?"

If you are on the mild or moderate side of the stuttering spectrum then your answer is probably yes.

Even if you struggle more severely, it sometimes happens that things are just a little easier for no apparent reason.

But then what happens?

You know exactly where this is going...

Without warning or invitation, that stuttering habit eventually comes storming right back into your life ready to take back the power once again.

The stuttering habit showing up uninvited 🙄

Why your stuttering habit is so damn stubborn

The first thing to understand is that your brain is always looking for ways to save energy. And it does so by relying heavily on old habits, old patterns, and old programs that have been running in the past. 

Simply put, if you give your brain the choice between:

Stuttering out of habit
OR
Speaking fluently with more effort

Your brain will prefer the habit every time – even when that habit is opposed to your self-interest or well-being.

Habit is easy, change is hard. Your brain prefers the easy path because it wants to save energy. 

But here's the cool thing:

Since you have experienced ups and downs with your speech, you've had times where the stuttering habit has had less power.

This proves that fluency can also grow and become a strong habit in its own right!

There's just one problem...

The fluency habit wasn't strong enough to defend against the return of the stuttering habit. The stuttering habit was more powerful.

But it doesn't need to be this way. It is well within your ability to make the fluency habit more dominant.

And when you do that, fluency becomes EASIER for your brain to access than stuttering. You can flip the script. How cool is that?!

The stuttering habit then becomes like a powerful political figure who has fallen from the throne and has almost no influence anymore. 

Through this process, your fluency habit becomes the "king" of your speech system. It simply becomes more powerful.

You have one task: Make the fluency habit more powerful than the stuttering habit

At the end of the day, this is just a power game in your head. 

Whichever habit is stronger wins. 

Will it take a lot of effort and diligence to overthrow the tyrannical government of the stuttering habit? Certainly. My own journey out of stuttering was far from straightforward or easy, and it won't be easy for you either.

But on the other hand, it's not as hard or complicated as you might think.

Good old hard work and patience will get you most of the way there.

You are capable of incredible change. Don't forget that.

Your coach,
Marcus Lapp